Kenney, George

Kenney, George (Churchill)

(1889–1977) aviator; born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as a railroad engineer before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1918. Trained as a pilot, he shot down two German aircraft on the western front. He served in a succession of staff and line posts before taking command of the 5th Air Force, MacArthur's air arm in the Southwest Pacific, in September 1942. After the war, Kenney commanded the Strategic Air Command (1947) and the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (1948–51). He retired in 1951.